Arkansas Sightseeing

Mount Magazine has fantastic scenery that everybody can enjoy. While driving and hiking to vantage points on the highest peak in Arkansas, one can see nearly one fourth of the state of Arkansas on a clear day. It’s truly one of the most breathtaking things to see in Arkansas.

Start at the visitor center by studying the three dimensional scale map of the mountain in the exhibit gallery. Drive to Cameron Bluff Overlook Drive. Features visible from the seven parking areas along this one way loop include: the Arkansas River, the Ozark Plateau, Paris, Ozark, Subiaco, and Clarksville.

From the lodge, cabins, and the hang gliders' launch, you can see up and down the Petit Jean River Valley. Blue Mountain Lake lies at the foot of the Ouachita Mountains. The valley sometimes is covered like a sea of fog making many Ouachita peaks appear as islands.

Some Arkansas sightseeing vantage points are accessible only by hiking. An easy stroll down to Sunrise Rock on the Bear Hollow Trail provides a wonderful view of the eastern horizon. Features visible from this point include: Huckleberry Mountain, Spring Mountain and Mount Nebo (which appear as one), Lake Dardanelle, steam from Nuclear One, and Petit Jean Mountain. From the Bear Hollow Trail one can look down into some of the last remaining virgin hardwood forest in Arkansas.

For a view of the west one must hike from Brown Spring Picnic Area to the western tip of the mountain. From Sunset Point, Poteau Mountain in Oklahoma is sometimes visible. From this and other vantage points vultures, hawks, and other Arkansas birds of prey may be at eye level, or you might even see them below you as they fly by.

No trip to Mount Magazine is complete without visiting the state's highpoint on Signal Hill. The easiest route is to park at the trailhead near the Cameron Bluff campground and walk half a mile through a lush forest. Lodge and cabin guests will also find a short, easy trail to the top at a trailhead located about 100 yards east of the lodge parking lot. The climb of only 153 feet is well worth the effort. At the top is a 400-square-foot stone map of Arkansas. The highpoint is surrounded by forest, so don't expect a panoramic vista, but do enjoy the forest and Arkansas plant life along the way.

Waterfalls are of special interest to visitors and are some of the most popular things to see in Arkansas. There are many, but all are very dependent on wet Mount Magazine weather. The easiest to see is Hardy Falls, which is right next to Highway 309 about six miles south of the visitor center. They were named after the engineer who oversaw the construction of the highway by WPA crews in the 1930s.

Other waterfalls require moderate to strenuous hiking. Fringe Falls below Bear Hollow Trail, and Mount Magazine Falls below the North Rim Trail, are worth the effort. There are many other waterfalls on Mount Magazine awaiting your discovery.